How to raise money for your NGO

NGO tend to get stuck when it gets to the stage of raising funds to follow the intended for their programs and projects of the organization.

Funding is, therefore, the key to making the goals of the NGO actualize. To ensure that the NGO kickstarts their projects and programs, it’s important to come up with strategies to raise funds.

Here we’re providing some of the ways that will help you raise funds for your NGO.

1. Use a fundraising expert

The fundraising expert functions more like a sales and marketing manager in a commercial organization.

The fundraising expert works to bring a group of people together who share your passion and the vision to match.

They present the vision, mission and the intended goals of the organizations to donors who will then donate.

2. Hold auction

Get items that are not useful to the owners, but will be useful to other people. Then auction it out to people.

3. Do a promo

Conduct a promo by selling raffle ticket or you can use technology to create promo where people can send a code using their mobile phone.

With raffle ticket, you can create a redeeming center where people will drop their raffle ticket.

Set the dateline for the promo and when winners will be announced.

4. Organize competition

You can organize the competition and look for people to sponsor it. With it, you can charge a subscription fee.

5. Sell your own meal

Want to use a simple method a school deployed. The home economics department of a secondary school wanted to buy some equipment for the school worth 200, 000. They organized a food exhibition which will be sold afterward.

At the end, they were able to raise up to 279, 000 from sells of the meal.

An NGO owner can also deploy such method to raise funds

6. Sell your own product

You can come up with a product to sell. The product will help the NGO with funds always as long as the product is hot in the market.

7. Donor agencies

Write a concise proposal and submit to donor agencies. Your proposal should highlight the details of what your NGO is all about, the project you intend to carry, target audience, expected outcome and the budget for it.

Some donor agencies include:

United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS)

United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

UNESCO

Ford Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates foundation

UNICEF

African Development Bank (ADB)

8. Apply for government grant

Apply for the government grant for a project you intend to carry out. You’ll need to meet their criteria to stand the chance for the grant.

9. Organize fundraising event

You can organize a fundraising event where you can have donors in one place. You sell your NGO idea in exchange for their donation

How to organize a successful fundraising event for an NGO

Below are some of the methods you can use to organize a successful fundraising event for an NGO.

• Know your target audience

Knowing who your target audience is will help you know who you’ll invite for the fundraising. Your audience might be student, men, women, retirer or business owners. It also makes you have direction in your planning.

For instance, if your NGO fundraising is about community development, you plan to invite people in the affected community.

• Do some research about NGO fundraising

Don’t claim you know it all. Do some research and see how people created a successful fundraising. Learn from them and see what you can do to improve on it.

• Know the major event

Make every aspect of the event towards your main aim and don’t deviate from it.

• Work with a team

Get some like minds to work as a team with them. This will ensure you serve yourself from failure.

• Know the mission of the event

What is the purpose of the fundraising? If the fundraising is not just about the intended project, it’s important for you to tell the fundraisers.

• Set your event goals

What is the main goal of the fundraising? If it’s about the donation, you must know how much you need and what it will be used for.

• Write a budget

Write a budget about the fundraiser. The budget should contain all the details and money required to create the event. Things to be included are space to be rented, invitation card cost, transportation, security, utilities, entertainment and miscellaneous.

Put in mind that you’re doing a fundraising, make sure you don’t spend more than what you need.

• Decide the leaders of the event

Decide will be the main people in the fundraising event and provide them with a special place during the occasion. Such leaders can be the chairman and chairperson of the occasion, village head, celebrity, donor agency representative, business men and women, and wealthy donor.

Most of the event leaders are those who will make your occasion successful

• Come up with the program of event

Draw a program of the event about what need to be done. Make every program exciting and reflects the main aim of the event.

• Decide on the date and time of event

set the date and time of the program. The date and timing should favor the leaders of the event to stand the chance of them to be in attendance.

For instance, if your audience is workers, it will be difficult to see them when the program is holding during work hours. Such an audience will prefer weekends or late in the evening to attend such event.

• Choose an event venue

You’ll need a venue for the event within that will be easily accessible to your donors and closer to them to encourage them from driving to the event.

• Advertise your event

There are several ways to advertise. You can use the media, word of mouth, do a road show in major streets, print and give out flyers and use the social media.

• Choose the anchor of your program

You have to make your program lively. You’ll need an MC who can steer up the people and can make them donate.

• Don’t overlook the moment

The important of the event will be at the time when you present the reason for the event. That’s the time you’ll need to tell the donors why they need to donate.

I strongly recommend that you rehearse before the event. Stand in front of people and say it and ask people what they think. Accept their correction and keep practicing.

• Collect donation

Begin to collect the donation. Some will do it by cash, others by the pledge.

• Say thank you

Don’t forget to say thank you and assure your donors that the job will be done.

There you go

I’ve outline ways to raise money for your NGO. What do you think and what can you add to the list? Feel free to add yours by making a comment.